CRC® Certification Renewal
The CRC® requires Certificants to maintain their professional expertise and re-certify annually.
The purpose of the CRC® renewal program is to enhance continued competence and ensure an ongoing understanding and compliance with ethical requirements.
The CRC® certification carries an obligation of continuing education to help Certificants maintain current understanding and knowledge of relevant retirement planning topics. Like many other professional certifications and licenses, an annual continuing education requirement assures a Certificant’s commitment to life-long learning. The one-year continuing education requirement is important for professionals working in a dynamic industry with a constantly changing legislative, tax and resources environment but should not be interpreted that a Certificant has a particular level of competence or skill. The continuing education requirements are appropriate for active CRC® certificants as evidenced in the most recent Practice Analysis study.
Why Renew?
The Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) certification is gaining recognition as the retirement planning designation of choice for retirement professionals who serve middle market consumers and retirement plan participants. More than 500 candidates are currently in the process of earning the certification! A recent article, written by a highly respected author and published in the leading online newsletter that reaches over 400,000 financial advisors, stated that the CRC® is one of the top three most prominent and rigorous retirement designations “best positioned to allow advisors to guide their clients through retirement”.
Why renew your CRC® certification? Because it:
- tangibly demonstrates your commitment to the retirement planning profession;
- is an indication of your competency, credibility and high ethical standards;
- demonstrates your understanding of both retirement accumulation and distribution planning;
- is one of only a few financial designations that is independently accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
How do you renew your certification?
Those holding the CRC® certification must annual complete the following in order to keep the certification active:
- Submit a continuing education form confirming participation in at least 15 hours of continuing education (CE). At least 2 hours every 2 years must be dedicated to the subject of professional ethics*.
- Sign a Certificate Holder’s Statement agreeing to adhere to InFRE’s professional Code of Ethics. Certificants must disclose any incidents of criminal activity or personal or professional misconduct on the Certificate Holders Statement.
- Pay an annual renewal fee of $150.
Certificants receive an email from InFRE approximately six weeks before their annual renewal date with instructions on submitting CE and other requirements.
*CE requirements can typically be fulfilled by attending conferences, attending internal training programs and earning CE for insurance licenses and other licenses and designations.
For more information about CRC® Certificant annual renewal requirements, refer to the CRC® Certificant Handbook. Renewal requirements may be submitted online or by the mailing your continuing education form, Certificate Holders Statement and payment to:
InFRE
P.O. Box 524
Barrington, IL 60011-0524
